Feminine Friday: Vintage Valentine's Tablescape

I love love love vintage china!  I sell a lot of it, and lately I've been collecting a bit more as well.  I've been working on a collection of mismatched pretty feminine plates, because apparently having several matching sets of china isn't enough in my world.

Everything about these vintage plates is feminine!  The shape is feminine, the size is feminine, the flowers are feminine... I love looking at feminine china and I really love using it!  I don't understand the point of collecting dishes you don't use, so I make it a point to use mine often!

The dishes are feminine, but so is the very act of setting a pretty table and having friends over for a dinner party.

Instead of fighting the crowds on Valentine's Day I decided to host a dinner party with three other couples.  It was so much fun!  I was able to use my pretty mismatched china and even though some of the men might have thought I was odd, the ladies appreciated it!

 There are so many pretty plates out there, a mismatched set is the perfect way to enjoy them all!  Plus it's so much easier to find plates when you don't limit yourself to one pattern.  Maybe someday I'll have a hundred mismatched plates!
I already tell my kids that as soon as Nina moves out I'm making a bedroom into a dish room, so hundreds of dishes is a real possibility! *grin*

The centerpiece was pulled together with odds and ends from around my house and placed on a vintage mirrored vanity tray that is heading to market.  It looked so feminine and perfect for Valentine's Day!

I love hosting dinner parties and I've made it one of my goals this year to host more!

Playing hostess makes me feel feminine, which I love!